Together with You

Bylin (Until I Found You) returns with another contemporary romance, this one between an agnostic and a Christian. Carly Mason is a Kentucky preacher’s daughter pursuing postgraduate studies in California when she meets Dr. Ryan Tremaine, a single father of three. Ryan’s youngest, Penny, is the product of an affair Ryan had while married to the mother of his two older boys; both he and his lover drank heavily to fight their guilt, and as a result Penny suffers from Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Hired as Penny’s nanny, Carly soon becomes part of the family. An agnostic who is himself the son of an agnostic father and a Christian mother, Ryan believes his and Carly’s shared values will override differences of faith, and he proposes marriage. Carly, while equally smitten, is not as confident. The plot is loaded with other, more peripheral issues: the death of a parent, a special-needs child, murder, adultery, troubled teens, guilt, and issues of faith. This complicated backdrop turns a simple love story into a complex, multifaceted read. Still, the romantic tension between Ryan and Carly takes up the lion’s share of the story, making this best suited for inspirational romance readers. (Apr.)